POTLS - Chapter 22: 15 Before Dawn

Once the wind changes direction, it becomes nearly impossible to shift again. For the nine Survivors, the situation had deteriorated beyond salvation.

Count Dracula and his creeps dominated the battlefield with overwhelming force.

The humanoid figures created from thick, viscous blood would reform after being destroyed, as long as their master remained and had mana to spare. Unlike the Nosferatu Hunters, which stayed dead once killed.

The destructive clash between both sides had completely ravaged the once majestic and resplendent hall. Chairs lay broken into pieces, scattered in all directions. The floor was marred with slash marks of varying depths. The central carpet had been reduced to filthy, tattered, scorched scraps. Blood splattered across the windows on both sides.

Blood from both the constructs and the Survivors.

The wounds they sustained multiplied as the boss demonstrated its undeniable superiority. Count Dracula possessed an intelligence rivaling that of humans. It wouldn't recklessly expend all its mana, instead leveraging its powerful physical form to attack while allowing its energy to regenerate. Though frenzied, it wouldn't behave like its subordinates, charging in without managing its resources.

This prolonged the battle, but it was a necessary extension from Count Dracula's perspective.

For the humans, the monster's restraint offered no respite.

The girl with [Healing Aura] had consumed her final mana potion, officially signaling the battle's final phase.

The team had planned not to engage in this conquest for too long, waiting until only half an hour remained before entering.

Half that time had passed, and dawn approached.

With a last desperate effort, once [Heaven Judgment] finished its cooldown, the skill was immediately unleashed.

A holy cross over two meters tall materialized, thrusting forward with the sword toward Count Dracula.

Seeing this, the creeps collectively retreated as quickly as possible, then surged forward to block the cross's path.

They disintegrated upon contact with the divine light. The impure blood particles burned to black ash, dissolving into the surrounding air.

But they didn't stop, rushing in to erode the power of [Heaven Judgment].

A blinding explosion of light momentarily dazzled everyone as the cross broke through all barriers, striking toward Count Dracula.

A shriek rang out, followed by panicked cries from the circling bats. Their wings flapped chaotically, losing coordination.

"Well done, Max!" a teammate called out to the Survivor who had faced criticism for using [Heaven Judgment] too early before.

"It's not over yet," warned the girl with [Healing Aura].

The pride and sense of victory that had briefly emerged was extinguished as the white light faded, revealing Count Dracula still alive.

Half of its right side had been obliterated by [Heaven Judgment], dissolving into nothingness. One could see its flesh and blood gradually dissipating into the air. But its head remained intact, lips curving into a triumphant smile.

Without wasting another second, the Survivors roared as they unleashed their remaining skills at the persistently durable boss. Arrows, both visible and invisible, rained down like a storm. Swords flashed brilliantly, whips cracked through the air with explosive force.

But everything came too late, no longer sufficient. Despite all their evolutions.

A blood wall materialized around Count Dracula, blocking the incoming attacks. Sheltered behind its defensive barrier, it gradually floated upward. The bats shrieked a jubilant victory song, flying toward their master, merging with Count Dracula to compensate for the destroyed portions.

The boss of Crimson Moon Estate appeared more haggard than before through exhausted eyes, yet its pale skin remained unchanged, revealing nothing. It muttered incantations, hands weaving through the air. Its next phase began.

Clearly, even the prepared Survivors hadn't anticipated the monster would be this difficult to defeat.

From a distance, Paul watched everything unfold with mounting dread. Only by staying clear of the hopeless battle did he have space to think.

The guides available on forums had analyzed Count Dracula extensively, detailing its danger level and moveset. No monster escaped having a predictable attack pattern.

Yet simultaneously, Portals always contained unpredictable elements – that was also fact.

Paul suspected the cause lay in the number and levels of this group, himself included. Perhaps their combined numbers and total level had exceeded some threshold, triggering a behavioral change in Boss Count Dracula. The first team to defeat Count Dracula had only five members, and subsequent posts, even for combined groups, never reached ten members.

If so, he and these nine were the first to witness an anomaly in a map that had been analyzed down to the last blade of grass.

This could set a precedent for other Portals regarding final boss approaches.

The System always ensured difficulty when humans tried to exploit something. There were limits to what it allowed humans to accomplish. Currently, it showed no hesitation in aiding Count Dracula. Or perhaps more simply, the monster had been programmed to perform these actions from the beginning.

The Survivors' attacks became useless against the boss's absolute defense. It had returned to its intact form through the sacrifice of its subordinates.

Count Dracula roared, a soul-piercing shriek that stunned everyone. The Survivors halted in place, their skills disrupted, frozen where they stood.

Paul likewise suffered the same effect.

Then, from Count Dracula's body sprouted long, writhing tentacles, blood-red and trailing shadows of darkness. It extended its arms, pushing its new attack forward.

When the Survivors regained awareness, they found themselves entangled by tentacles – some around the waist, others around the legs, one lifted by the head. Their faces turned crimson from lack of oxygen.

Silver swords flashed, the only weapons usable in this situation. They prioritized saving the [Healing Aura] girl first. But Count Dracula hurled another body at them, blocking their path.

A Blood Lance flew past before everyone's bewildered eyes.

Blood sprayed like a blooming rose in the middle of the main hall. The crucial girl let out a moan, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes glazed over as she collapsed to the ground.

The first life lost.

Count Dracula pressed its advantage, advancing with its regenerating tentacles, isolating the Survivors with least resistance. Among the nine was another support individual with damage and speed buffs. Though not as obvious as [Healing Aura] but always present to aid teammates.

Silver swords and whips with evolutions only managed to shatter tentacles that reformed immediately afterward.

Unsurprisingly, the second life was taken when Count Dracula thrust its fingers through a heart, extracting the still-beating red organ. Then it greedily drank from the life-giving organ of the human who had just fallen before it, panic filling their eyes.

The collapse gradually spread to everyone.

Even the experienced Rank E Survivors wore grim expressions. They could resurrect after death, but all their investment in items, artifacts, planning time – everything was lost bitterly. The rewards would exceed fighting elites, but certainly not equal to actually killing Count Dracula.

The next victim was the young man with [Heaven Judgment]. Count Dracula's hatred toward him was evident as it tore him in half, ignoring his organs tumbling onto the floor.

The air reeked of fresh blood, with only six people remaining. The three most crucial members were gone.

Count Dracula had been observing from the beginning, knowing precisely who to slaughter first for maximum advantage.

Only seven minutes remained until dawn.

Count Dracula's state seemed refreshed after the killings. It charged forward.

The clashing of swords grew increasingly loud.

One Rank E Survivor, while swinging his sword at Count Dracula, deliberately veered and crashed into the pillar where Paul stood.

"Join the fight, you cowardly bastard," he cursed at Paul.

Hearing this, Paul smiled, throwing out [Lunar Flare]. Using the moment when the light blinded his opponent, he ran to another position.

Join just to die early and serve as your human shield? Paul silently mocked.

He needed to learn from his previous encounter with the stranger who suddenly tried to kill him, when the group pursued him without a word after he awoke. The risk of these people killing him for experience shards or crimson shards was small but real. With only his final life remaining, he couldn't risk situations he could avoid.

The blinding light vanished, accompanied by curses from the Rank E Survivor.

While Paul's skill could stun humans, it barely affected Count Dracula. The monster recovered faster and drove a Blood Lance into the Survivor's flank. He only had time to tend his wound when teammates jumped in to share the burden.

He glared at Paul with bullet-like eyes, frustration nearly making him ignore Count Dracula. But seeing the five others struggling, he returned to battle as soon as possible.

An archer couldn't withstand the barrage of Blood Lances thrown at her. Her body was impaled against a mirror, blood dripping down beneath a painting of Count Dracula rallying its people to rise.

The five froze at how events unfolded. At this elimination rate, they would soon be next.

As if silently understanding each other, they all fled. They headed straight for the gate, swords swinging upward in hopes of breaking through the closed wooden doors.

Those remaining tried to block Count Dracula's path.

Two were seriously wounded, one thrown aside. Seeing this, a Rank E Survivor leaped forward with a stat buff, stabbing straight at the monster, forcing it back. He was swallowed within the embrace of tentacles, razor-sharp fangs plunging into his neck.

With a thunderous crash, the door burst open. The survivors fled on all fours, ignoring their bleeding wounds. They only needed to escape; the rewards would still exceed dying. Having survived seven days and daring to challenge Count Dracula already put them above fighting Lords.

The Rank E Survivor's desiccated corpse was tossed aside, his silver sword clattering desolately against the floor.

Count Dracula's expressionless face gazed toward the door. It couldn't leave this place, not just because dawn approached, but because this was its domain. It turned to look behind its throne.

Paul, still lingering with sweat pouring down his face, also looked toward where the boss was staring. He could see something glowing red, one corner revealing intricate patterns.

Then Count Dracula turned back, focusing on the human who dared remain. Its tentacles fluttered, Blood Lances summoned.

Paul raised his hand in a wave, trying to smile. But his naïve wish to stall for time received no response.

He had one minute before dawn.